Smoking and drinking patterns among residents of Li ethnic minority villages in Hainan, China

Background. In China, approximately 67% of male adults are smokers and 64% of them are drinkers. Tobacco and alcohol use are more prevalent among many of China's 55 ethnic minority populations, but specific data are lacking for them, including the Li population. Methods. Cross-sectional data from 379 residents sampled from 12 Li villages in Hainan Province were used,for this analysis. Data were collected in 2003 using a questionnaire adopted from the U.S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Both lifetime and current use of tobacco and alcohol products, including prevalence, frequency and amount of use, as well as age patterns of onset of use were assessed. Findings. Eighty-five percent of the sample were Li minority and 43% were female with a mean age of 34.7 years (SD = 14.5). While fewer female subjects of the sample reported smoking (1.9% of lifetime smoking) and drinking (21.0% lifetime drinking), 84.1% of the male sample were lifetime smokers and 92.5% were lifetime drinkers; 78.1% were 30-day smokers and 88.4% were 30-day drinkers; and 58.6% were daily smokers and 15.8% were daily drinkers. In addition, 79.1% male villagers were binge drinkers, and 21.4% were intoxicated in the past month. The risk of onset of smoking and drinking increased after 10 years of age, peaked at 18-19 years (hazard = 16.0% for smoking and 19.5% for drinking), then declined until leveling off at 25 years of age. Eighty-five to 97% of the males simultaneously used alcohol and tobacco. Conclusions. The prevalence rates of tobacco and alcohol use in Li male villagers are higher than those of the national average and other ethnic minorities in China. In-depth studies are needed to obtain more detailed information regarding issues such as detailed types of tobacco and alcohol products, causes of use, as well as willingness to participate in tobacco and alcohol control interventions in order to develop and deliver substantial intervention programs.